Where the Bhagirathi and the Alaknanda become “THE GANGA”
At Devprayag, 68 km from Rishikesh, the Bhagirathi form Gaumukh mingles with the river Alaknanda forom the sacred Ganga. Devprayagis, in a literal sense the birth place of
the Ganga and is next only to Prayagraj in its importance as a confluence. Just as the Ganga flowed from Shiva’s locks, so do the Bhagirathi, Alaknanda and the ganga flow deeply in to sculptured channels carved through the rock. The three rivers have carved out three angular block of land around the ‘Sangam’ into which is picturesquely set the town. Bridges inter-connect the three narrow laned blocks carried out of the rocks, with houses constructed with an orthodox sense of engineering. Pilgrims bathe in the Sangam and offer ‘Pind’ Sharadha. At an altitude of 813 meters, here areancient temples of Raghunathji and Lord Shiva both are landmarks as well as the Raghunath Kirti Mahavidyalaya, the headquarters of the pandas of Badrinath.
The pandas of Sri Badrinath hail from this town. Most of the pandas are pundits who are scholarly and their knowledge of Sanskrit is a family inheritance. A local pandit has elaborate observatory whichis considered the base of astronomical learning in this area. This observatory is open to visitors.
One road goes from here along the bank of the Bhagirathi to Yamunotri (va Tehir – 69 km) and the other direct to Kedarnath along the bank of the Alaknanda, passing through maletha, Kirtinagar and Srinagar. It is also linked with 30 km motorable road to Pauri. There is a PWD Rest House, Tourist Rest House run by Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam besides, so many private hotels, dharamsalas at Devprayag.
Other attractions in the vicinity are Baital Kund, Brahm Kund, Surya Kund and Vasisht Kund, the Indradyumna Tirth, Pushyamal Tirth, Varah Tirth ; Pushpavatika ; Baitalshila and Varahishila ; the shrines of Bhairava, Bhushandi, Durga and Vishveshvara ; and a temple dedicated to Bharata.
Places to visit :
- Chandrabadani Devi :
At a distance of about 22 kms from Devprayag their lies the sacred shrine on Chandrabadani mountain. Legends has it that the torso of Goddess Sati, the better half of lord shiva fell here. The Panoramic view of Kedarnath, badrinath and Sirkanda could be enjoyed from here.
- Nagtibba :
It's a great destination for the trekking ang adventure sports. Located at a height of about 3,048 kms this place offers ample opportunity to enjoy the refreshing natural beauty of doon valley, Mussoorie and other surrounging Hilly areas.
- Narendra Nagar :
It offers an enchanting view of ganga and doon valley. The sunset view at this place is amazing. It is also the former capital of Garhwallies.
- Kaudiyala :
A great destination for Water Rafting, this place is around 37 kms from Rishikesh.
- Khatling glaciers :
These snow peak glaciers are a popular trekking destinations. The khatling trekking route is as followed. Base Camp Ghuttu, Ghuttu to Reeh 10 kms, Reeh to Gangi 10 kms ,Gangi to Kalyani 5 kms, Kalyani to Bhelbagi 13 kms and Bhelbagi to Khatling 7 kms.
How to reach:
The nearest airport is the jolly grant airport at dehradun. By roadways one came go from Rishikesh which is 70 kms and Haridwar which is 90 kms. Even if you prefer railways you have to get down at Rishikesh and Haridwar and hire a taxi or a bus.